Collapsible drill bit



Feb. 9, 1926'.

W. L. CHURCH COLLAPSIBLE DRILL BIT 4 Sheets-Sheet l I l I i I I l irjircrg gg h v Filed Jan. 9, 1923 0 r4 J7 m 7 M mm. Z7 8 z \hO H 1| /4 w-H g L\\\ xxx Feb. 9 1926.

W. L. CHURCH coLLAPsIBLE DRILL BIT Filed Jan. 9, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 m-.1 Feb. 9, 1926. UNITED STA TES' PATEN -Lo wAI.'rnn.L. cannon, or waroommnra', arms.

FFICE.

COLLAPSIBLE maria. m.

Application filed January 9, 1923. Serial 1T0. 611,633.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WALTER L. CI IUBCH, citizen of the United States,residing at West Columbia, in the county of Brazor -a and State ofTexas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapslble--Drill Bits, of. whichthe following is a specireaming side cutters, ifdesired, and includes means through which. said side cutters or reamersmay be expanded when the bit 1s attached to the drill stem, and may becontracted when it is desired to detach the bit from the stem.

With the above and other objects 1n view the invention has particularrelationto certainnovel features of construction, operation, andarrangement of parts, an example of whichis given in this spec ficat1on,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein I Figure .1 isa'vertical sectional view of th r end of said bit. 1 igure 2 is a sideview of the lower .end

of the bit'shown partly in section.

' Fi re 3 is a vertical sectional view of the comp ete device.

Figure .4 is a transverse sectlonal view taken on the line 44 of Figure2.

Figure'5 is a transverse sectional view taken on. the line 55 of Figure1.

Figure 6 shows a side elevation partly in section of the lower end ofthe bit, showin employed.

abrading conical shaped rollers employe Figure 7 is a vertical sectionalview of the lower end of the device, showing a core barrel for takingsamples of the formation, Figure 8 is aside view of a fishing toolFigure 9 is a transverse sectional View thereoftaken on the line 99 ofFigure 8 Figu're 10 shows a transverse sectional view taken on the line10-10 of Fi re 8. In the'd'rawings the numeral 1 designates thedrillstem whichis rotated 'from the ground surface by means of a suitabletachment 01f; a cable thereto for tary, the numeral 2 designates a drillcollar whose upper end is threaded ontothe lower end of the drill ipe.The numeral 3 desig nates an expan er, of an elongated cylindrical form.Near the upper end of this expander it has-an annular shoulder i forminga seat, for a gasket: 5 which sup orts a cup ring 6. This cup ring is heed in position by means of a look nut 7 which is threaded onto the.expander 3 thus forming a plunger. -The expander has a central channel 8extending from the, upper end through it to its lower end and rior of"the drill stem. The lower end of the ex ande'r works in a deep socket 10of the tu ular shank 11 to the lower end of which a drill bit, as 12, ora core takin barrel as 13, may be attached. Thisshan also has a centralchannel: 14 to permit the beneath said plunger there are the lateralducts 9, 9 to i admit water into said channel from the intepassageofwater downwardly to the bottom of the bore. The upper, end of the shank-11 s enlarged forming an annular shoulder 15 adapted to contact againstand rest on an internal annular shoulder 1'6-of the I drill collar'2 toternal shoulder 16 the collarhas threads as 17. The expander has aplurality, preferably three, of downwardly'conver ng dove tailed groovesas'18 in'which locking jaws 19 are mounted to slide. The outerfaces ofthese jaws have mutilated threads adapt ed to mesh with the-threads 17Near the lower end of'the socket 10 the shank 11 has side slots 20through whichcutters 21 work, said cutters bemg pivote in said slots attheir upper ends.

the reamin' These reamin cutters may be blade like in form, as s own inFigures 3 and- 4, or

ma carry the frusto conical shaped cutting rol ers 22, as illustrated inFi' re 6. a

The bit is let down throng the stem by I prevent the same from passingthrough said collar and above said inmeans of a" grappling tool,illustrated inv Figures? .Qgand 10 said tool bein ui with a Sllififiblerope socket 23 f oi th z lowering.

and elevating the same. The bit is lowered 1 until the shoulder 15 restsu n. the'shoulder v 4 16, asshown in Figure 1',t 's-willstop thedownward movement of the shank 11, but j the rope socket 23'will move onthe dogs 25, 25 e 5 under the internal annular rim 26 o, t eengagingfslips 27. I

, downwardly through thelupper end'of the barrel 2A until An upward pull011 the cable will elevate said slips in the barrel and permit them toexpand and release the expander, thus permitting the withdrawal of thegrappling tool.

In order to lock the bit securely, in position preparatory to drillingwater is forced, under pressure, down through the drill stem forcing theplunger, carried by the upper end of the expander downwardly, thusforcing said expander downwardly operating to expand the jaws 19 andengaging the threads thereof with the threads 17 of the drill collar 2.it being noted that these are left hand threads. The downward movementof the expander also 0 rates to, force the cutters 21, 21 outwar ly intoposition to enlarge the bore formed by the bit 12.

In order to unlock and remove the bit from the drill stem the ropesocket is again lowered down through said stem until the slips 27 engageover the upper end of the expander an upward pull on the expander drawsthe jaws 19 inwardly disengaging them from the drill collar 2. When inupper position the expander is withdrawn from between the reamingcutters 21 permitting them to swing inwardly so as to readily passupwardly through the drill collar. It is to be notexl that the jaws 19work through suitable radial slots 28 cut through the shank 11.

The ordinary fish tail bit, as illustrated in Figure 2, may be used fordrilling in soft formation. In piercing rock or other hard strata thecutting rollers, illustrated in Figure 6 will be employed. For thepurpose of taking a sample of the formation a core barrel, asillustrated in Figure 7 may be used; but in all cases the same means oflocking the drilling tool in the drill collar 2 may be employed.

hat I claim is 1. In a drilling a paratus, the combination of a rotarytu ular driving member having a threaded section, a detachable shank, aboring tool carried by the lower end of the shank, an expander movablewithin said shank, and an engaging member having a slidable connectionwith said expander and actuated thereby into intermesh- 1n enga ementwith said section to lock said shan with said driving member.

2. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivinmember, a detachable shank, a boring too carried by the lower end of theshank, an expander movable Within the shank, radially movable jawshaving a dove tail connection with the expander and actuated thereb saidjaws working through the shank an being effective to connect the sameto, and disconnect it from said driving member.

3. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivingmember, 9.

detachable shank, a boring tool carried by the shank, an expandermovablein said shank, interlocking means operatively connected with saidexpander and adapted to be actuated thereby to lock said shank with, andrelease it from, said driving member, said interlocking means and shankbeing formed with threads, adapted to inter-mesh when said elements arein interlocking position.

4'. In a drilling apparatus, the c0mbination of a rotary tubular drivingmember, a detachable shank, a boring tool carried by the shank, anexpander movable in said shank, interlocking means operatively connectedwith said expander and adapted to be actuated thereby into interlockingrelation with the driving member, or into released position relativethereto to lock said shank with, and release it from, said drivingmember, said interlocking means operate ing also to prevent detachmentof the shank from the expander, lateral reamers radially movable in andconnected to said shank, said expander being effective to expand thereamers when said shank is in locked position.

5. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivingmember, a detachable shank, a boring tool carried by the shank, anexpander movable in said shank, interlocking means working radiallythrough the shank and operatively connected with said expander andadapted to be actuated thereby to lock said shank with, 1 and release itfrom, said driving member,

a plunger working in the driving member and connected to said expanderthrough which the expander may be actuated by fluid pressure to forcesaid interlocking means into engagement with the driving member.

6. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivingmember,

a detachable shank, a boring tool carried by the shank, an expandermovable in said shank, radially movable interlocking means operativelyconnected with said expander and working through the shank and adaptedto be actuated thereby to lock said shank 1 with, and release it from,said driving member, radially movable reamers carried by the shank, aplunger working in the driving member and connected to said expanderthrough which the expander may be ac tuated by fluid pressure to forcesaid interlocking means into engagement with the driving member, and towedge between and expand said reamers.

7. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivingmember,

a detachable shank, a boring tool carried by the lower end of the shank,an expander movable within said shank, interlocking means movableradially through the shank and in operative connection with saidexpander and actuated thereby to interlock the shankinto threadedengagement with,

and release it from said driving member,.

. driving member, a plunger working in the driving member and connectedto the expander through which said expander may be actuated by fluidpressure to force said interlocking means into engagement with thedriving member.

9. In a drilling apparatus, the combination of a rotary tubular drivingmember, a detachable shank associated therewith, a boring tool carriedby the lower end of the shank, an expander movable within said shank,interlocking means working through the shank and in operative connectionwith said expander and adapted to be actuated thereby into threadedengagement with the driving member to lock said shank with said drivinmember, a plunger working in the driving member and connected to theexpanderthrough which said expander may be actuated by fluid pressureto'force said interlocking means into engagement with the drivingmember, means for releasing said interlocking means, lateral reamersradially movable in and connected to the shank, said expander beingadapted to wedge between, and thereby become effective to expand saidreamers when the shank is locked with the driving member.

10. In a drilling apparatus the combina-' .tion of a rotary tubulardriving member,

formed with internal abutments, a detachable shank associated therewith,a boring tool carried by the lower end of the shank, lateral reamersradially movable in, and

connected to the shank, an expander movable within said shank and havinga water' course therethrough, interlocking means formed with externalabutments and working through said shank and in operative connectionwith said expander and actuated thereby to lock said shank with saiddriving member said expander simultaneously wedgingbetween andexpanding. said ream,- ers.

' 11. In a drilling apparatus the combination, of a rotary tubulardriving member having internal threads, a detachable shank associatedtherewith, a boring tool carried ,by the lower end of the shank, lateralreamers radially movable in, and connected to the shank, an e andermovable within said shank, interlocking meansformed with internalthreads. and working through said -shank and in operative connectionwith said expander and actuated thereby to cause said threads tointer-mesh to lock said shank with said driving member, said expandersimultaneously wedging between and expanding said reamers.

12. A. drilling apparatus including a tubular driving member, adetachable shank associated therewith and formed with aradial bearing,an ex ander movable vwithin the shank, a jaw ra ially movable in saidbearing, said jaw being connected to the expander so as to move radiallyas the expander is moved longitudinall in the shank, the outer ,face. ofthe jaw an the opposing inner wall of the rotar member being formed withleft hand t reads which intermesh when the aw is in its outer positionto lock the ,s ank with the driving member. 7 v a In testimony whereof-I have signed my name to this s ification,

ALTER L, CHURCH.

